In the Air
by flyingpiggies
Summary: Raven is forced to attend the Mayor's party. Emotions run rampant and stress levels are high as she races against the clock to find a dress and learn the arts of dancing and seduction to attract a certain masked teammate. RavenRobin. Valentine's Special.


In the Air. By her royal insaneness, flyingpiggies and her cohorts, the plotbunnies!

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LOCATION: Unknown, unidentified, dressmaker's shop. Somewhere in Jump City.

TIME: 14:32, 4 hours 28 minutes till OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL

"This is...Pink." Raven frowned, regarding the rack of evening gowns with annoyance. She found it increasingly hard as she resisted the urge to send herself into another dimension where puffy ball gowns of the pink variety did not exist. Closing her eyes, Raven repeated her mantra. Whoever had the ingenious idea of a New Year's Ball at the Mayor's should immediately start packing because they are about to seriously regret it.

The silly designer pouted her absurdly red lips, "Aw! You look adorable."

The dress-maker either was noticeably blind or didn't care about the heinous crime she was committing, Raven decided.

Surely someone as dark as her donning a lace-infested one-piece would bring upon the seven plagues of God, if not the apocalypse itself. The gown wasn't so bad—if you kindly disregarded the ribbon laced bodice that looked like ribbon dancers at the May Festival had gone nuts and began attacking everything with ribbon.

Of course, there was the pink lace netting, the pink trimmings, and the ridiculous pink corset. And oh yes, everything was hideously PINK.

The moody girl glared, this was utter insanity. The problem was: the dress would have looked fine on someone like Starfire. On Raven...well, not so great. Undoubtedly, this was preordained by the Gods of Olympus, written in the grand scheme of the universe only to be woefully ignored by an incompetent stylist. Raven grimaced as she imaged herself wearing such a fashion mistake, talking to the Mayor, smiling incessantly to the guests, dancing with Robin—

Wait, rewind. That couldn't be right, now could it? What state of madness could have induced such a preposterous idea to spring from her brain? That thought was nothing short of sacrilege. It had to be the terrifying barrage of pink frilliness, there was no other explanation. Raven eyed the dress dubiously, before tossing the cursed material aside. See? She had barely worn the atrocious corseted thing for a minute and already the Gods were punishing her.

"Friend, your gown is..." Starfire poked her head into the room, exclaiming jubilantly when she glimpsed Raven's dress, "It is most glorious! You look just like the Gnorfalk Shnarlips of my home world." The alien princess was dressed in a half-pinned gown, the alterations still incomplete as she ran forward, to initiate a group hug on account of Raven looking like a misshapen turnip.

"...Thanks. You too, Star." The dark girl replied irritably, noticing that Starfire hardly looked like defected vegetation. The redhead looked nothing short of beautiful in her gown with panels of pale lavender silk beneath a deep gauzy purple overlain. Her hair was swept back revealing a glimmering amethyst hanging just above the deep plunge of the neckline.

Starfire beamed happily, "Friends! I invite into the dressing room to praise Raven's dress!"

"No, wait..." Raven protested, doomed to the mockery of the Titan's very own peanut gallery, hiding under the ugly voluminous mass of pinkness. What madness had befallen the Major to allow a New Year's Ball, months after New Year's no doubt? Indubitably someone who was very drunk on the evils of Yule tide spirit, presumably eggnog, Raven thought angrily as the boys entered.

"IT BURNS MY EYES!" A certain green goofball whose name shall go unmentioned here yelled.

There was a brief, fearsome silence. Then, laughter. Beast Boy was the first to speak, again.

"Heh, I don't know Rae. Maybe you should try something else?" The resident prankster, secretly himself an abuser of eggnog, made a noise like he was choking on aforementioned treat. Raven was a wearing pink, deranged tutu? This had to be a misguided attempt to catch the attention of a certain dashing green heartthrob. Well anyways, he brilliantly observed, "Pink's not really your color."

Time for peanut gallery member #2.

"It's...different." The soon to be guinea pig for the vengeance awaiting the buffoons at the Mayor's office said slowly. Cyborg looked to Robin for help, Raven's glare was certainly enough to bring an end to humanity.

Robin smiled hesitantly, "Erm...Originality is nice."

Beast Boy, however, took the metaphorical cake. "Yeah, it's a pretty dress and all, just maybe not on you?"

Cyborg awaited the impending blow that would send Beast Boy flying to the North Pole, or maybe to Baby New Year, wherever he lived. Strangely, it never came. Taking a deep breath, Raven headed towards the changing room, coming back with the frilly froufrou bundle in her arms which she kindly deposited or shoved, is a better word, into the dressmaker's arms.

"Really? You think, Beast Boy?" Her biting sarcasm was enough to cause more destruction than the A-bomb. Glaring, Raven teleported back to her room, mumbling under her breath much like the evil tech-genius, Gizmo.

"Razzle, frazzle, scum-licking, snot-faced..."

LOCATION: Unknown due to anti-location spells. Somewhere in Raven's domain.

TIME: 15:19, 3 hours 41 minutes till OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL

Raven growled, frustrated as she tried to sort out her thoughts in a meditative, cross-legged position. The Titans hadn't returned yet as the dressmaker's shop proved to be in a truly illusive part of Jump City. She took another relaxing sip of her warm tea, the drink tasting slightly bitter. The whole New Year's Ball ordeal was beginning to take a toll on her. She should never have allowed her friends to have procrastinated this long.

The superhero team had to find gowns and tuxes and learn the finer ways of etiquette when faced with an eight-course dinner all just hours before the ball and with Beast Boy, Cyborg and Starfire, table manners could easily take an entire afternoon. Raven was the only one who couldn't dance as she had decided to finish her novel instead of going with the others to learn. Cyborg also didn't go but he could easily program himself to do the moves whereas she would be up chocolate creek with no sugary snacks, say candy canes, that could act as paddles.

Quite frankly, it was becoming a fiasco.

So far, the purple-haired girl decided: A bunch of useless eggnog drinking secretaries was about to get the boot and the unknown, unidentified dress shop tragically teleported to another dimension. Beyond that, she had no clue as to what she would do and even still, there were holes in her vengeance plan.

Sure, sending away the dress shop meant never having strange incomprehensible thoughts pop out of her head—she did not like Robin, she did NOT!—but it still didn't solve the problem of not having a dress to wear. Raven shifted, floating to her wardrobe and lifting out possible candidates with her telepathy.

She landed on a sophisticated dark satin, tightly collared around the neck, exposing her pale arms and nearly all of her back.

Sighing, she threw aside the floor length dress, deciding to find something less serious. A black silk gown soon joined the reject pile—the long-sleeved, high-necked chiffon having more of a severe look than she would have liked. Raven caught hold of something dark blue, very simple but it would be painfully out of place next to Starfire's dress. She was starting to notice a trend, maybe something not blue or black? What was Robin's favorite color again?

Hold it. What in tarnation was going on? Raven growled, could a runaway piece of ribbon have brought the plague of pinkness to her room? But alas, no, Raven had specifically cast warding spells to seek and destroy so much as a whiff of the odious color. What was the problem then? And why did she, the very last person to care about appearance, want to find the perfect dress for the New Year's Ball?

Raven ran a hand desperately through her hair. Wait, was that a split end? Did wearing anything other than dark colors make her look fat? More importantly, would Robin notice?

Ugh, this was ultimate psychosis, the last straw of lunacy before the figurative eclipse of sanity! "Okay, Raven." She told herself, "You are not turning into Kitten. You are not an obsessive narcissist. Vanity is pointless. It is a hindrance and ultimately unimportant." Her words seemed to fall flat, her voice sounded disbelieving, unable to convince herself to snap out of it.

Raven couldn't believe this was happening, she was racing with the clock to find a dress and she still couldn't dance. To think she once thought succumbing to mental ridiculousness would only happen when pigs could fly or shrimp could rule the world! She needed to meditate, grabbing her mirror, a gift from Azar herself, Raven delved deep within her mind to find the cause for such absurdity.

LOCATION: Local Jump City Mall of Shopping.

TIME: 15:42, 3 hours 18 minutes till OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL

"Remind me again, what is it that we are doing, friend Robin?" Starfire, having changed back into her daily outfit, held up a finger, persistently poking her favorite red, yellow, and green colored person until he gave an answer to her questions.

Robin glanced at the map of the mall, drawing circles around certain stores with a red marker. "We're getting something for Raven."

"Like a we're-sorry-please-don't-hurt-us present?" Beast Boy asked, scratching his head. "Maybe we should get her a soy-shake machine! Nothing shows cowering in fear like a good old soy-shake! Ooh, maybe we could buy her a life-time supply of tofu, or maybe—"

"No, nothing pisses people off more than them nasty soy-shakes and jiggly vegetarian stuff." Cyborg amended, starting to head down an escalator, "We're finding Raven a dress, Star, because _someone _stupid just had to make her mad and so she never finished buying a dress."

Starfire nodded. "Friend Raven needs our help. That _someone _very rude and inconsiderate, who spoke the mean words and resembled a selfish Florgnak Varnack has green skin, yes?"

"Oh man! Come on Star, you didn't have to make it so obvious!" Beast Boy groaned. "Besides, Raven's not an easy person to shop for! Remember what she did with the fruitcake I got her for Christmas? She's not gonna like any of the clothes we buy. Hello? Remember dark and scary girl? How are we supposed to know what she would like?"

"We don't." Robin said grimly, "We're all just gonna pick something we like and hope she'll like one of them. Okay you guys, we have only a couple hours before we have to get to the Mayor's so two hours tops. Cyborg, you start at the west end of the mall. Starfire, you take the east. Beast Boy gets the south end and I'll go north. Titans, go!"

Beast Boy muttered under his breath, "And hope Raven doesn't burn us to a crispy toast..."

LOCATION: Scary, dark place with floating rocks. Presumably somewhere in Raven's mind.

TIME: 16:49, 2 hours 11 minutes till OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath..." Our favorite meditating superhero opened one eye by a slit, glancing her surroundings with vigilance. She could have sworn she saw the sky fill with piggies, all of which were flying. Raven shook her head, and continued her mantra. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. I, am, not, crazy. Shrimp, do, not, rule, the, world. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

LOCATION: Local Jump City Mall of Shopping. Still.

TIME: 15:58, 3 hours 2 minutes till OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL

Here, we follow each of the Titans' separate shopping for their dearly beloved Azarath-Metrion-Zinthos-chanting friend in attempt to make amends for Beast Boy's previous blunder at the strangely unnamed dress shop...

"Okay, if I were unsocial and hid in my room all day, what would I wear?" Beast Boy was currently at an elegant boutique, looking through a display of dresses, "Um...Better go for white!" The dress he found was floor length, something like Starfire's with the silk and stuff, the dress being strapless and scooped down in the back to her waist. "She better like it," He thought, looking at the price tag. Oh well, anything to not make Raven blow him up.

Starfire entered a promising store. While it did not have the dark, depressing clothes that friend Raven preferred, there were several nice gowns and a pleasing supply of hair accessories. Flying over to a rack, she picked up a glorious dress that embodied all happiness of the sweet tangy condiment known as mustard. Smiling, she brought the yellow dress to the check out line. Friend Raven would most certainly be joyous.

Meanwhile, Cyborg paced the upper floor, determined to find the dark girl something she would like. He spotted a dark blue dress in the corner of the store, the same color as Rae's cloak, patterned with a series of cut out designs. The dress was supported by two spaghetti straps on each side of the shoulder, crisscrossing in the back. The robot picked by a bracelet from some addition bling. Cyborg grinned, "Booyah!"

Robin himself was at one of the lower levels of the mall. He had distanced himself from the rest of the Titans, heading to an older part of the mall instead of taking north side. The boy wonder didn't know why, but he wanted the gown to be perfect, he wanted Raven to like it. She rarely showed any emotion, he wanted to see what her face was like when she was happy. Seeing a red satin in a store window, he smiled. Raven would absolutely love it.

LOCATION: Titan's Tower. Raven's Room. Raven's mind.

TIME: 16:09, 2 hours 51 minutes till OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL

Raven discovered the reason to her abnormality, her emotions were loose again. Happy, Timid and Vanity were all on the rampage. It took her the better of a quarter hour to find them. The trouble was, none of them were very willing to fade back into obscurity and relinquish control of her disheveled mind. All of them seemed intent on ganging up on her and dictating the do's and don'ts of New Year's balls.

What would they know anyways? Raven glowered, she could not tackle an emotional mutiny, karma must especially take sadistic pleasure in tormenting her so. Karma was definitely not a force to be reckoned with: first, the immense puffiness of the hideously horrible pink gown, then the snide remarks, where would the torture end?

A sudden squealing absorbed her mental processes. Happy was being her absurd self as usual, prancing, frolicking through the field where air-fresheners were made. "Wheeeeeeee! The wheels on the bus go round and round! Round and Round! Round and Round! The wheels on the bus go round and round—Hey, Timid! You can stop hiding now. Raven's found us," Happy giggled, grinning as she twirled in midair, spinning like a ballerina.

"Is she mad?" The grey-cloaked girl asked, hiding behind a rock. Raven smiled weakly, at least Timid could easily be bullied into doing what was required and not annoyingly fight to the end of their persistent lives as Happy and Vanity were sure to do.

"No silly, she's HAPPY!" She laughed, floating over to Raven.

"You're happy." Raven wasn't exactly pleased, "I want you to stop."

"But why? This is so much fun! Robin would like you so much more if you smiled!" The ecstatic girl replied dreamily, making a heart in the air with her powers. "He's so cute! I wish I could meet him in person some day."

"You won't. Now stop before I make you," Raven glowered, her eyes glowing threateningly. She was surely getting tired of the ridiculousness, usually being stuck inside her mind when her conscience was running the stage had serious consequences. The empath was already starting to feel slightly nauseous, but that could just as easily be credited to the love poetry that Happy was reciting.

"But we can help you," Vanity stepped forward. "All it takes is like a little spell to make your perfect dress. You already have beautiful features, those dark smoky eyes, exquisitely high cheekbones, and your creamy skin. All it would take would be some accenting to bring them out a little. Some make-up, maybe? How do you feel about Mac? Or Smashbox? Revlon perhaps?"

The dark girl hesitated, it wouldn't hurt. After all, if Vanity couldn't make her a dress, no one could. She weighed her options, if she gave in, then her other personalities would stop giving her the headache of the century and quite possibly make her look nice. But surrendering to the timid, happy, and vain would mean tossing her ideals out of the window. Dilemmas, dilemmas...

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

The dark girl felt like her head was aching, she needed to get out of the mirror soon, the New Year's Ball would be in no time. Plus, she still had to learn ballroom dancing. Maybe Vanity would know how, after all, the romantic subject seemed to fall under her jurisdiction of looking pretty and such. Then again, dancing might chip one of her perfectly manicured nails.

"Hm...You're right. Can't help with that honey." Vanity seemed to read Raven's mind, but since technically Vanity is one of many representations of repressed emotions, and therefore is part of Raven, it is assumed that her thoughts are shared. "But I still can help. There's this great dance place that teaches you real quick. I'll tell you if you let us give you a make over."

"We were only trying to help. Please don't be mad." Timid clasped her hands in a piteous gesture, "Maybe we shouldn't do this. Robin doesn't like me. I know he already doesn't like me. I just wish...maybe he would like us if we were prettier."

"All right." Raven yielded, but noted this condition was only temporary. "But only if you promise to stop taking control of my emotions and influencing my actions."

"You won't regret it." Vanity smiled deviously, her hands glowing a strange silver color that engulfed her in an odd mist. "Don't worry. You'll totally flip when you see yourself!"

"Do anything funny and you will pay," Raven warned, giving her three emotions the evil eye.

LOCATION: Jump City Mall Parking Lot.

TIME: 17:08, 1 hour 52 minutes till OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL

Cyborg was starting the T-car, ready to bust out some new moves and try out his baby's new hover car feature, hopefully beating the traffic. Starfire and Beast Boy sat in the back, both excited about the purchases and already engaging in a fierce battle about whose dress was prettier or more suitable for their dark friend. Robin's communicator went off with the signature Teen Titan's theme song.

Cyborg eyed the boy wonder, hoping they wouldn't have to stop on the way home to fight any inconveniently timed attacks on the townsfolk by mud monsters, renegade mailmen or any other cheap plot devices so commonly used by a certain author. He wanted Raven to see his dress. After all, Cyborg was certain his usually silent friend was going to freak, in the good way of course.

Robin flipped open the device, frowning when he found his communicator revealing the inside of Raven's room. The moody owner of the incredibly dark room was not present in the screen, but her voice greeted him. He raised his eyebrow, or rather, erm, his mask we shall say. "Raven." Robin sounded surprised, "We're on our way. We'll be there in ten minutes."

The Titans perked their ears, Beast Boy morphing into an exotic South American fly that had the ability to pick up extremely quiet sounds. Cyborg glanced at the communicator confused, why wasn't Raven standing in range for the screen to pick up on her image? Only Beast Boy occasionally forgot such trivialities. Was Raven in trouble?

"Robin." Raven's voice was monotonous, it certainly didn't sound like she was in trouble. "I'm traveling to another dimension."

"What?" Robin paused, incredulously. He hoped this wasn't a ploy to avoid the dreaded New Year's Ball because after all the trouble he went to, he was going to drag her to the mayor's whether she wanted to or not. "You're going to another dimension? But Raven, the New Year's Ball, you'll miss it."

"I have to go. It's of the utmost importance." Raven paused, wondering if the boy wonder was actually pouting. Really, she had no idea Robin could do the whole sad, abandoned puppy look. In fact, it was almost cute in a way. The dark girl felt the corners of her mouth twitch, no doubt Happy's doings.

"Okay. Try not to be late and disappoint the Mayor, he really wanted to do some bonding with us or at least in front of the media." Robin sighed, feeling Starfire poke him in the back and decided to deliver her message rather than risk a broken spinal cord. "Star says that Beast Boy, Cyborg and her will miss you...I'll miss you too."

"I'm not going to the end of the world." Raven smiled genuinely now, using the line from one of Cyborg's favorite movies. "I'll be back."

LOCATION: Unknown dimension where the nimble bodies of dance masters grace the ground. Assumed to be Vanity's suggested dance studio.

TIME: 17:18, 1 hour 42 minutes till OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL

Had Raven been able to see herself a couple days ago, she would have believed herself to have down off the deep end and then hunted down whoever was responsible. Now however, she found herself grateful that a plane specifically designed for dancers happened to exist. Sure, the ravagings of unsightly dresses of the repulsive pink shade were in abundance but sacrifices had to accepted in desperate times.

Raven sighed as the dance master or sensei as he preferred, bowed expertly, extending a gloved hand to her. Actually, the whole dancing business was easier than she thought. While she couldn't program her body to make certain precise moves like Cyborg, she could copy vast amounts of information detailing the intricate maneuvers and then store them in memory banks, thanks to the dance master's special amulet of course.

The bloody red ruby pendant hung in silvery threads around her neck, woven with smaller stones of the same shade. According to Vanity, every magician powerful enough to reach the dancer's dimension received an amulet and was granted the ability to memorize dance steps at an abnormally fast pace. Similar to what humans incapable of magic called photographic memory almost, except one had to be able to look within the teacher's mind and copy the instructions.

Take right now for example, as the master grunted impatiently at his newly acquired grasshopper. Raven snapped out of her daze and returned the formality with a slight bend of the knees. Really, it wasn't so hard, all she had to do was read the dancer sensei's mind and then follow the directions.

Allowing the teacher to loosely hold her waist, Raven found his arm placed in a firm but gentle grip. The man's mind said the equivalent to, "Must hold strange pupil delicately. She is slight of build and is fragile like porcelain." Raven felt her mouth smirk ever so slightly, and wondered if Robin's handling of her would be firm but gentle enough for a piece of crockery like herself.

Then she wanted to smack herself.

She was doing the impossible, even as she copied the information from her dance instructor, the sorceress was still thinking about Robin. She was being obsessive, infatuated, fanatical, whatever the appropriate diagnosis for her disease was. Raven was in the middle of wondering if a separate dimension of psychologists existed when she feel the teacher's hand slip from her waist and knew her lesson was over.

Curtseying to the dance master, Raven bowed out of the ballroom and into her shadow portal.

Thank Azar for small favors. Just when she thought stupid and completely pointless, entities like Vanity were of no use, they happened to feed her a bit of useful tips. Raven had to commend Vanity on her dress though, the material certainly didn't feel like it was of existence, the fabric was lighter than silk, and the touch to her fingers felt like she was holding onto air.

For once in her life, Raven was actually possibly, maybe, mildly looking forward to dressing up.

LOCATION: Titans' Tower. Due to the abundance of stuffed animals, I'd say Starfire's room.

TIME: 18:45, 15 minutes till OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL

Her imperial highness, Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, anxiously glanced at her clock. Oh, surely her dear friend Raven was a pertinent traveler between dimensions, what sort of woe could have befallen her? Certainly not the terrible gnarkle shaks ooze monsters of nebula five, or the perilous black holes of the Centari Empire, perhaps the tyrannical vorgs of the Vega Sentinel?

Starfire bit her trembling lip, fearful of the horrible, torturous, hazards of dimension travel similar to the dangers of space. She suddenly felt anguish, distress that sent waves of panic throughout her body. If any harm had arisen to her friend, then who would perform the joys of hair accessories, or go to the mall of shopping, or do the talking of the girls?

The redhead sadly fingered her gown, the glorious fabric did not feel so majestic now. If friend Raven was hurt, then she would never forgive herself for not helping with the quest for dresses. Surely that was the cause of Raven's disappearance. Starfire pondered the thought of making the pudding of sadness...but Lo!

Was that the sound of Raven's door sliding open? The grim croak of an irritated sigh cursing Beast Boy for placing his socks of sweat on her bed? Indeed, friend Raven was victorious! Starfire clapped her hands, excited, she would alert her friends! But first, the safe return of the dark girl prompted the alien princess to initiate a joyous reunion with her beloved yellow condiment.

LOCATION: Titans' Tower. Scary-looking decor suggests Raven's room.

TIME: 18:42, 18 minutes till OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL

Raven stepped out of the portal and slipped to her room with her shimmering dress carefully draped over her arm. As her doors slid closed, she was ready to don her dress when she heard Beast Boy calling her outside. Speaking of the little grass stain, what were his socks doing on her bed? Cursing Lady Fate for the billionth time in the measly past hours, as being stuck with a certain green-colored somebody was no piece of cake, she sighed.

"Raven?" The empath closed her eyes, wishing the pesky superhero would go away. With minutes before Cyborg was going to tell them all to hurry it up so they could get to the Mayor's before all the good parking spots were taken, the changeling's sudden appearance made it next to impossible for her to change and get ready in time. Raven grumbled, suddenly abhorring all things green especially bothersome nuisances.

Unfortunately, the soy-loving vegetarian brought the metaphorical cavalry, reinforcements if you will, in the form of Robin, Cyborg, Starfire and her enormous jar of mustard. Raven glared, fate seemed to take a special liking to seeing her wince. Here she was, half dressed with the entire team outside her door. What in the name of Azarath was she supposed to do?

"Hey moody girl, I know you're in there. You're probably mad at me right now. Heh, but if you come out, we all have a big surprise for you." She rolled her eyes, how nice, an attempt to redeem themselves out of guilt or pity. Outside the door, Robin frowned, why was Raven being so stubborn? If she didn't come out, then they'd miss the entire ball!

"We wished to apologize and will pay six flarbnogs for reconcile." Starfire added, "Please. What you are doing is bad for the health, yes?"

On her planet, seclusion was a display of the most terrible of ailments, an abnormality beyond all anomalies. Perhaps a precursor to the devastation of Rekmas even. Reclusive hermits of the alien empire of Tamaran were irregular, unable to fly with the disability of misery. Friend Raven surely must not become afflicted with the horrible malady.

"Oh! Raven, I do not wish to cause you anger but this for your wellbeing!" And then before anyone could stop her, in one powerful blast Raven's door was blown from its hinges. The other Titans waited as the green light of righteous worry disappeared and seeing as no dark energy came to destroy Starfire, proceeded into the room.

As the quartet entered the holy ground, space forbidden to annoying drinkers of tofu-shakes and the like, Raven groaned inwardly from the inside of her closet, watching as they advanced near her hiding place. Robin and Beast Boy looked mildly annoyed while Starfire and Cyborg looking puzzled. The purple-haired girl glimpsed at the assortment of dresses they carried awkwardly on hangers. Apparently, all of them were for her.

A strangely tingling sentiment was somewhere inside of her, full of gladness. Happy must be having a field day, Raven thought grimly, vanishing in the darkness of a portal.

LOCATION: Titans Tower. Raven's newly remodeled room, now lacking a door.

TIME: 18:48, 12 minutes till OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL

Starfire was fearful now that she had tainted Raven domain with happy thoughts of mustard and soy products, surely that resulted in some form of punishment? The sudden beeping of Robin's communicator and the subsequent glow of Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg's gem embellishments, belt piece, and robotic eye respectively instilled terror into the hearts of our do-gooders.

"I would like to leave now please," Starfire shivered under the threatening glow of the device, the red light flashing brilliantly before dying away. Her eyes glowed green, ready to pummel the gnarf out of any shnargle shanks but only in succeeding in successfully pounding Beast Boy in the nose. "The creature that lives beneath the bed is watching us, yes?"

"Robin here. Where are you?" The aforementioned leader of the group flipped out his Titans' gadget, relieved his doing so signaled the ceasing of red light. Who to his surprise should he see but Raven, who of all places, was obviously not in her room! The Boy Wonder frowned, if an obstinate Raven was being her usual determined self, then he certainly would have no qualms about dragging the goth lovely to the Mayor's event.

"Yeah, moody girl." Cyborg grabbed the communicator from his masked friend, noting the coolness that the previously stated article of clothing bestowed upon him. To say the least, the mask made a generous ego quite permissible, as explained by the excessive hair gel and such products. "Say Raven, you still primping or you ready to get this party started? Now I know you're not skipping out on us."

"Oh, it is most terrible friends! There dwells a conscious monster in the houses of earthlings who will hunt us down!" Starfire peeked apprehensively under Raven's bed, clearly intimidated so by the fearsome structure. "Cyborg, please inform friend Raven that we miss her and ask to know if there lives a man of the boogey whose existence is known to her."

"Why has my door been blown off its hinges and what you four who are all doing with suspicious hangers in my room? And none of my knowledge Star, if that makes you feel any better." The alien princess gulped, though her words eased the fears of an otherworldly being terrorizing the joyous lives of children, the thought that friend Raven knew they were in her room proved to be truly frightening.

"Um, your earthly ways are strange to me. Please, what is this 'door' that you speak of?"

"ActuallywekindasortablewupyourdoorwhenStarthoughtsheheardyoucomeinsoshewasalllike'Mustard!'andRobinwaslike'Titansgo!'.Soanyways,weallrushedoverandwerealllike'Ravencomeout!'butyouweren'ttheresoStarthoughtyouhadsomecreepyaliendiseasesoshewaslike'Hahhh!'andyourdoorwasalllike'Crash!'andwe'reallreallyreallysorrysopleasedon'tblowusup!" Beast Boy turned blue from the extreme lack of air in between words.

A few precious moments of silence was filled with the delightful serenade of crickets. Below is the reader-friendly translation:

"Actually we kinda sorta blew up your door when Star thought she heard you come in so she was all like 'Mustard!' and Robin was like 'Titans go!'. So anyways, we all rushed over and were all like 'Raven come out!' but you weren't there so Star thought you had some creepy alien disease so she was like 'Hahhh!' and your door was all like 'Crash!' and we're all really really sorry so please don't blow us up!"

Cyborg sighed, leave it up to Beast Boy to try and explain things and make it all worse for them. "So Raven, if you're not primping where are you? There's only ten minutes left before the New Year's Ball starts! All the good parking spots are taken by now, we're gonna be late and the Mayor's gonna stick us in jail with Cinderblock for standing him up on his big party."

"Actually I'm right outside the entire time." Raven walked up to the seemingly ruined frame of her door, leaning against it and watching the mouths of her friends drop. Smiling slightly, she skimmed her eyes over the shocked assemblage. Cyborg was festooned in a dark blue tux, Beast Boy arrayed himself in the ultimate archetypal James Bond suit, an endeavor desperately made to please the ladies. "Well, I see you're all dressed up."

"But...But," Robin sputtered, too surprised. Surely some of his status as protégée of the Batman, dark knight of Gotham, as well as his training with the true master would have bequeathed him the most heightened awareness. Common sense would dictate yes, he would have spotted Raven much like radar. Maybe her magic has blocked his senses? Wait...did Raven just comment him about his clothes? He blushed profusely for some unknown reason.

"Oh, Raven! It is a most pleasant astonishment to feast my eyeballs upon you! But why do you not wear your glorious gown? Oh, if you are unsuccessful in your search for the unpink dress then I am glad for you have four magnificent gowns to select from. You will be joyous for Cyborg's dress is blue like your cloak, Robin's is a wonderful scarlet, Beast Boy has a victorious white, and mine is the holy embodiment of all mustardly happiness!"

Raven smiled blandly, "I won't be needing them, thanks. I've got my own dress."

"Um, Raven? Are you sure you got a dress there? By any chance is it the magical vanishing dress or the all mighty invisible ball gown because hello, we can't see it! You know, if you need a dress, we've got four of them since we practically spent hours looking for just to make sure you wouldn't blow us up. My dress totally whoops Cyborg's dress' butt!" Beast Boy grinned.

"That's strange." Cyborg's red eye signaled profusely, "No signs of organic material detected under Rae's cloak, or for that matter any sort of substance. Nanotech sensors have diddlysquat and as far my scanners are concerned, Raven's not wearing anything under there. And what do you mean your dress would whoop mine? In an all out battle royale ball gown style, mine would so pound yours!"

Starfire frowned, "I do not understand, certainly you have not scrutinized carefully for if your machinery does not sense any material substance, then friend Raven is...unclothed? Positively not, Cyborg, your scanners have fallen into disrepair, correct? I am truly perplexed for it is not feasible that Raven is indeed undressed, yes?"

"No, it's not. Now can we please go to the party before we're all imprisoned under charges of disrespecting the Mayor? Maybe some time this century before our bones turn to dust?" Raven sighed irritably, as a baffled Starfire and beet red Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy whose minds were surely all misplaced in the gutter stared at her in wonder.

"Yeah, okay." Cyborg mumbled, his incoherent brain frenzied by disarray, particularly mental images that have no place in a PG 13 story. Beast Boy and Robin followed suit, acting like dismembered androids having just had their circuitry taken out. Only the higher order who seems to relish toying with the Titans may know what goes on inside their minds. The group piled into the T-car, altered into a stretch limo due to the occasion and sped towards the city.

LOCATION: Impossibly long stairway outside of City Hall. Jump City.

TIME: 19:00, OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL UNDERGOING

On the steps of the Mayor's proud establishment, the congressional building in which absolutely nothing got done besides foolish secretaries planning outdated holiday parties, Raven began regretting her decision to come. Sure, while she was on the arm was Robin, wearing a beautiful though yet to be revealed dress, and surrounded by influential people, she found herself fighting the urge to flee to another dimension. Again.

The reason presumably, is quite simple. Having missed her demonic debutante party as she refused to be her father's puppet, Raven supposed the gathering would have greatly resembled the one she was currently faced with. Much of her dislike for the ball resulted from the accumulating hysteria of aspiring journalists who were out to get a scoop and report the newest uninspired rumor. Raven sighed, deciding she despised reporters and their ilk.

"Miss Raven. Please, who is the designer of the constant gloom and doom look you wear? It's simply precious!" More cameras snapped.

"The others have all changed their attire for this occasion, why have you chosen to go with your usual look?" Reporters busily scribbled down tidbits on their notepads.

"Do you think the Mayor will think your lack of attention to your appearance disrespectful? Why haven't you dressed to impress like the others?" The journalists waited impatiently for the dark girl to respond.

Beast Boy seemed to have snapped out of his trance. "So, if Raven's a nudist, do you think you'll streak?"

"Man, you better make sure she didn't hear you say that," Cyborg warned. Had the dark girl been within the vicinity, the least of Beast Boy's troubles would have been finding himself permanently face-planted into the punch bowl. More likely, the punishment for such crimes varied from painful wedgies to forcing the green boy into a jig via telekinesis. And the worst penalty Raven could give, Cyborg gulped, well that was too horrible to think about.

Robin glared, having heard the comment, muttering darkly, "You better make sure none of us hear you say that again." He walked a few feet ahead, acting as Raven's temporary escort for the duration of their entrance and announcement as Cyborg and Beast Boy brought up the rear with Starfire. He turned to the purple-haired girl, wondering if she would blow up the flashing cameras and reporters scrambling to get a look.

"We've just heard your teammate mention the highly illegal act of streaking. Do tell us, will there be a wardrobe malfunction tonight?

Robin's gaze bore holes into a certain green friend of his as the media circled around.

"Heh. Sorry, I was only kidding." Beast Boy mumbled, flashing a bright smile for the camera, hoping some eligible hot chicks would be later willing to be picked up after a brief session of especially lame pick-up lines. Maybe the reporters would forget about his slip of tongue after seeing his hotness. The changeling's James Bond look drew the glances of many a girl, as he executed with painstakingly precision a, "How you doing?"

"Very well, I believe, though it has been two flarbnoks since my last sip of mustard." Starfire grinned, her brilliant red hair and green eyes causing another few hundred cameras to go off. "Oh, apologize not Beast Boy! The disturbing hormonal anomalies of a juvenile boy's mind are a powerful force. But I do not believe friend Raven is unclothed."

"Miss Raven, once again one of your teammates has used a sentence with the words 'Raven' and 'unclothed' in the same sentence. Are they accusing you of something you're not telling us?" The journalist persisted, tapping a light hand on Robin's arm. "And does this sudden act of rebellion have anything to do with your handsome escort?"

A second reporter spoke up, "Raven, is there anything besides friendship between you and the boy wonder? After all, being on a superhero team with attractive people dressed in spandex does cause the mind to wander from the daily work of beating up the bad guys. How did Starfire, the lovely alien princess take your relationship? Was there a catfight over Batman's young protégée?"

"Yes, we've heard that you're quite the wild child. Apparently, fighting crime isn't enough since you seem to feel the need to express yourself in more interesting ways. Is it true that you broke up Beast Boy and Terra out of pure jealousy and then used your powers to turn her to stone? Did you hire Kitten to split Robin and Starfire apart? Are all those afternoons spent with Cyborg more than just mechanical work?" A particularly nasty camerawoman asked.

Raven breathed deeply, closing her eyes as she mentally repeated her mantra. Whatever unmentionable force of the universe had she offended? Hadn't she apologized profusely with her constant sufferings? Obviously, someone felt merriment tormenting the dark girl, why else would the reporters be abusing her only? Maybe it was her silence and austere appearance that egged them on. She frowned, why couldn't they just leave her alone?

The woman continued, "Should we take your silence as a yes? Really, how many other happy couples have you broken up?"

"Yo, back off. Give the girl some space." Cyborg glared, this whole friendly interview with the reporters was getting out of hand. And how incredibly long was the Mayor's staircase anyway?

Press members ignored the half robot, "Miss Raven, why is your skin so pale? Are you the reluctant victim of a vampire bite? Do you feed on the blood of your teammates? Are your seemingly prefect looks natural or the product of going under the knife? Do you ever starve yourself to keep yourself thin? If you actually ate food, would you be terribly fat?"

"My friend told you to back off and I'm telling you the same thing. We won't be saying it again." Robin swung out his bo-staff, twirling it around as a warning. How Robin managed to conceal a six-foot metal pole in his black jacket is quite the mystery, what next, shall he fire bird-a-rangs at the reporters as well? Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire took defensive stances, preparing themselves for a fight.

The media must have incredibly thick heads, or impenetrable skulls, as they continued their questioning. "Raven, please just answer one question, do you admit to having Professor Chang under your employment and claim responsibility to the theft of zonothium? Sources report that you are the leader of an underground organization that deals with highly dangerous chemicals. Will you ratify this?"

Raven glared, "No, I will not ratify it. I am not anorexic. I have not undergone plastic surgery. I have not encountered a vampire. I do not interfere with the personal affairs of my teammates as they are not my business. I am fully clothed and mean no offense to the Mayor."

The crowd was silent, then questions began bursting from their mouths faster than the T-car in overdrive mode. Raven remained stony faced, replying at the speed of light, "You asked me to answer one question, I did. I am not afraid of bunnies. Yes, I have been inside the mind of my teammates but will not to exploit their secrets. No, I am not having the Joker at my birthday party."

"Can you assure us that you will not partake in the illicit act of streaking? Perhaps make an oath or is there some way to prove to us?" The media protested.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is." Raven said, promptly proclaiming absolute supremacy in Vanity's tastes as her cloak seemingly dissipated into thin air, revealing her long kept secret dress. She hadn't planned on shedding her cape in the spotlight but drastic times called for drastic measures. The magnitude of the reporting multitude's response was not to be questioned, their decision was unanimous.

"Dude! Raven looks...Raven looks like a GIRL!" Beast Boy verified triumphantly, quite proud of his astounding talent for discovering the obvious. Never in a bazillion years did the green boy wonder think it possible for his dark friend to look so utterly amazing. Her appearance nearly made him incapable of coherent speech, if understanding Beast Boy could be made even more difficult.

Starfire beamed, "Your manifestation is celebratory and worthy of victory! Tell me friend, shall I do the initiating of the group hug? Oh, joyous splendor, magnificent glory! We must celebrate with the doing of the congratulatory speeches! I shall first give you the ode of happiness with all 2498756 verses of Tamaranian folk lore!"

"You look totally awesome, moody girl! Man, I was like freaking out when you took off your cloak! That has got to be the coolest dress in the history of dresses. Okay, fresh results from the out all battle royale ball gown style, Raven's whoops both Beast Boy's and mine. Dark girl's got it going on!" Cyborg grinned proudly.

"Um...yeah. You clean up nicely," Robin muttered awkwardly. "You look good."

"Good? Are you crazy?" A reporter blurted out, while others busily snapped photos of the empath. "She looks stunning!"

"Thank you. Clearly, I'm wearing something. So shut up and leave me alone." Raven moved slightly, arranging the ruffles that folded over and over and trailed down the length of her skirt, to the floor, barely disguising her legs. The reporters were still in shock at her silvery sheer robe with a low draped back that twisted around her shoulder. "Let's go. Isn't there a party we've got to be at?"

Robin nodded dumbly, somehow managing to close his disobedient jaw. Taking her arm, Robin finished climbing up the extremely long flight of stairs as Starfire and the others followed closely behind.

LOCATION: Very long buffet table. Ball room. City Hall. Jump City.

TIME: 19:15, OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL UNDERGOING

"Great Scott! They don't have waffles! How can the Mayor not have to holiest of all holy foods? And we need some syrup man, stat!" Cyborg waved his arms madly, outraged by the traumatic absence of his beloved breakfast food. Needless to say, being the Titans, the food table was to be scrutinized first, but alas, however shall they live on without waffles?

"No, Swiss cheese is the holiest of all foods, get it? Holey?" Beast Boy laughed at his own joke, oblivious that once more the serenade of crickets was heard. Regardless of the mishap, as it slipped the Mayor's mind to order waffles, Beast Boy was certainly impressed by the variety of soy products present at the enormous table of food.

"Oh no. Whatever shall we do without foods of the morning meal?" Starfire gasped, though instantly cheered by the presence of all 132 varieties of mustard known to alien and man. She flew busily up and down the table, tasting each assortment of condiment before pouring the substance onto a very large platter and contently carrying it off to enjoy with a side of jelly beans.

Robin, standing on the other side of Raven, pretended to be tackling a pesky lobster. Raven looked up from her crystal glass of sparkling cider, as our favorite do-gooders are a bit young for alcoholic beverages. A good thing too, if you can imagine what a drunken and giddy Beast Boy would be like. She glared at him pointedly, "Robin, has my nose suddenly become crooked without my knowledge?"

"No." Suddenly absorbed in the mesmerizing configuration of the lamp shades, Robin replied innocently, his face illustrating the classic feeling of embarrassment. The devious lamps persisted with their hypnotic gaze, as nothing short of Slade's resurrection could have moved his eyes away. "So, um, are you having fun so far?"

Raven glared, "Do I look like I'm having fun with you staring at me every two seconds?"

"Right, stupid question. Sorry." Robin apologized, mentally calling himself an idiot. No amount of the coolness of the mask could help him now as he pursued the highly interesting subject of apple juice. "Um, you really should eat something you know. It's no wonder all those reporters think you have an eating disorder, what? Do you live off of tea and cider all day?"

"Reporters take enjoyment in ruining people's lives with nasty rumors, they don't think. The entire structure of their argument is purely based on lies, the structure is practically nonexistent. Besides, I happen to like apple juice." Raven replied, a small smile forming on her pale lips.

"I never said anything against apple juice," Robin smiled back. "It was my favorite as a kid. Then I discovered sparkling cider."

"And?" Raven lifted a brow, raising the glass for another sip.

Robin grinned, "And the bubbles make all the difference."

"Yo, I like apple juice, grape juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, mango juice, grapefruit juice, prune juice, beet juice and all kinds of sparkling cider. Now for the love of meat, help the nice delivery man out with the waffles so we can get this party started y'all." Cyborg grabbed Robin and practically dragged him towards the waffle delivery truck.

Raven sighed to the cosmic forces, talk about ruined moments. And all because of waffles!

LOCATION: Ballroom. City Hall. Jump City.

TIME: 22:48, OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL UNDERGOING

"So nice to see a young Titan enjoy herself," A patronizing man nodded at Raven and she had to wonder, was he being sarcastic?

Raven struggled against the crowd of people, making her way through uninspired conversations and small talk, her long silvery dress restricting her movements. Ignoring the murmuring of the multitude, she crossed the ballroom, deciding to climb the wide winding staircase, away from the orchestra and people. After nearly ten minutes, Raven found the exchange of talk between guests highly reserved, guarded lest they expose some mind-boggling secret.

While Beast Boy and Cyborg found true sanctuary in the splendor of the various culinary miracles, and Starfire took great joy in the nuisance of insignificant fashion talk, Raven reckoned her mind would explode unless she found something more stimulating for her brain. The dark girl sighed, her irritated mood was certainly not improved by the ceaseless mumbling as the orchestra mindlessly droned on.

First, being forced into a puffy pink dress, then having her mind overrun with Happy's undying love for Robin, then being bombarded with reporters and insufferable boredom. Great, what next? Would a large hippo fall on her head? After having scandalizing three elderly women with her hair color, which by the way was natural, Raven was hoping to keep out of everyone's sight before the end of the Mayor's ridiculous ball.

Raven exited the hall, standing as far from the door as possible wondering why she was doomed to be forever cursed by whim of fate. Well, whatever the answer to her ever so popular question, Robin was heading her way. Just great, she'd barely been gone for a minute and already the boy wonder was coming to fetch her inside. Well she wasn't going without a fight, Raven decided, floating two feet into the air. He'd have to get her down first.

"You're not wearing shoes!" Robin blurted out, the folds of her dress exposing her pale legs. Of course, Raven's lack of shoes became more apparent with her suspending in the air. Robin smiled at Raven's apparent dislike for abiding the rules, she was hiding from the Mayor and not wearing extremely high heels. In the world of influential people, the absence of tall shoes itself was the worst sin.

"I have a strong abhorrence for impractically painful shoes and since my dress can hide it, I can just float. " Raven was glad for her innate ability of telekinesis so she wouldn't get stepped on by people who couldn't really dance without causing bruising of her toes, perhaps Beast Boy would do as an example. "Most people don't notice, I levitate a hair's width above the floor."

"I noticed," Robin countered with a rebellious smirk. "Come down, you wouldn't want the press to learn about your little shoe secret, right?"

"You're not most people," Raven replied. "There's no chance of me coming down unless come get me yourself, I don't need to read your mind to know you want me back in that room. And I'm not going even if the Mayor decides to hunt me down the next day. The people in there have no interest in what I have to say and the feeling is mutual, so I'll forgo the formality and spare everyone the boredom."

"I didn't know you could do pouting," The black-haired titan frowned. "I'll make you a deal, you go back in with me and I'll promise you won't have to talk with anymore of those people, all you have to do is tell me why Cyborg's sensors couldn't pick up your dress. If there's a malfunction with his system, it's important that we fix it."

"How are you going to do that?" Raven cocked her eyebrow. "Set up a blockade so people can't talk to me?"

"Just trust me," She found to be Robin's cocky answer.

Sighing, Raven lowered herself from the air, rearranging her silvery dress. "Alright, fine. There's nothing wrong with Cyborg's systems or scanners. The reason Cyborg couldn't locate any natural materials or manmade fabric is because there isn't any. My dress, it's not real, at least not in the physical sense. It's woven together by a very complicated spell, you and I can see it, feel it, but my dress isn't really there. And that's why Cyborg couldn't detect it."

"What, are you afraid normal human-made dresses have cooties?" Robin joked good naturedly, offering her his arm. "And now, my part of the deal. Will you dance with me?"

Raven gaped, then realized, "You set this up! Well mister, you better keep your side of the bargain because if you don't, there'll be consequences. If I have to talk to another one of the Mayor's cronies, who knows what or who I might blow up?"

Robin grinned smugly, "We'll be dancing for a long time then."

LOCATION: Ballroom. City Hall. Jump City.

TIME: 23:54, OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL UNDERGOING

Robin smiled at his luck, extremely surprised that he was now in the middle of the dance floor. He bowed expertly, much like a previous though unnamed sensei dance master of the separate dimension. Raven subconsciously fingered the dark scarlet colored pendant that hung around her slim throat, and felt the knowledge of the waltz course through her veins.

Together, the two made their way around the ballroom, drawing the attention of the other Titans as well as the Mayor's secretaries and their escorts. Robin quickened the pace, only to find that his dancing partner effortlessly followed him. Raven smirked, spinning herself around and reading Robin's every move before he made it. Gotta love those dance teachers from foreign planes and the miracles they work.

"So what kind of pathetic loser has a New Years Ball on Valentine's day?" Raven muttered, glancing at the Mayor with clear disapproval.

"The Mayor apparently," Robin replied dryly, guiding her through a turn. They wandered further and further from the dance floor with each unknowing step before reaching the garden. The dimly lit garden flickered briefly as he and the purple-haired girl whirled by, the light casting a deep red shadow against her pale skin. Smiling, he lifted his domino mask carefully from his face and placed it over Raven's eyes.

"The mask makes you look cool," He murmured, slipping an arm around her waist.

The clock began to chime.

His ran his fingers through her hair, inhaling the smell of bitter roses.

_Ten._

Raven felt her lips part in surprise, the touch of his hand on her face calming her.

_Nine._

Her skin shone ghostly pale in the moonlight, the red shadow thrown across her dusky lashes.

_Eight._

She led him behind a stone pillar, snaked with aged roses, smiling mysteriously as she draped her arms around his neck.

_Seven._

Robin closed his eyes, cupping her face towards his.

_Six._

They were inches apart.

_Five._

One inch.

_Four._

Half inch.

_Three._

Quarter inch.

_Two..._

And as time stood still...

"BOOYAH! Man, you totally missed the coolest thing. Beast Boy insulted some multi-billionaire heiress and she totally smacked him way across the room, which is like HUGE! And he fell on the buffet table and got his tongue stuck on the Mayor's ice sculpture. Thank almighty he didn't trash the roast or bacon. Anyways, B.B has to go to the E.R. C'mon Robin, quit dawdling," Robin's communicator went off.

The spell was broken, the glass of their enchantment shattered, the pieces hitting the ground.

Robin backed away, surprised at himself for the act he almost committed. Raven gasped, her fingers touching her open mouth, confusion making her head spin as she faded before Robin's eyes into the depths of a portal.

For the second time that night, Cyborg had ruined the moment.

LOCATION: Emergency Room. Jump City Hospital.

TIME: 1:07, OPERATION: NEW YEAR'S BALL FAILED.

"Open your mouth a little wider Beast Boy, stick out your tongue a little more." The highly specialized tongue analyst doctor coaxed, gently prodding inside the changeling's mouth and retrieving the troublesome piece of ice. After much moaning, Beast Boy had been forced onto a stretcher and carried into an ambulance. Not before Cyborg had gotten quite a few good pictures of the green hero crying for fear of losing his tongue to the evil cursed swan.

Beast Boy cried, "Okay. Lesson learned. Ice sculptures are painful! Never make an heiress angry."

Perhaps if the pictures capturing the incident ever appear on the front page of Jump City's papers, it will be the fault of Beast Boy for not having complied with Cyborg's blackmailing demands. Starfire sat in the corridor, busily using ingredients brought from the hospital's cafeteria to make a pudding of good health and as Beast Boy is quite indisposed, most likely the vile substance will be shoved down his throat without much struggle.

Raven and Robin purposely avoided each other, choosing to sit at opposite ends of the waiting room, Robin staring intently at the floor and Raven sitting cross-legged in a meditative pose. As Cyborg moved to capture the moment of Beast Boy barfing up Starfire's malicious pudding of foulness, the pair were left alone in a seemingly empty hall.

Robin cleared his throat awkwardly. For Pete's sake, why did Raven have to close her eyes like that? If only maybe she would look him and say something, they wouldn't be in the situation they were in now. Frustrated, and tired from hours of gallivanting at the mall, looking for the perfect dress, only to have Raven choose to wear nothing, Robin was at the end of his patience.

Marching over to the meditating Raven, he lifted her face with one gloved hand, as they had changed back to their original costumes, and brought his lips over hers in a firm resolute kiss. Startled, the purple-haired empath lost her concentration, falling into the arms of the boy wonder. Looking up, her dark eyes widened, surprised. Robin smirked cockily, brushing the hair from her face.

From the end of the hall Cyborg whistled, "We should do these holiday balls and charity functions more often."

Raven glared at her robotic friend, "Somehow I don't think so."

Beast Boy persisted, "Oh, come on. You know you had fun."

"Yes dear friend Raven, finding one's true love is the most romantic and joyous occasions of one's life!"

Robin smiled down at her, "You've got four perfect dresses waiting at home. Plus I hear the Mayor's having a Ground Hog's Day Ball, an April Fool's Day dance, a President's Day gala, and a May Day Celebration."

Raven pulled him into another kiss, "Oh shut up."

If there is a lesson in all this, I suppose the moral would be: never have a New Year's Ball months after the mentioned holiday, or maybe never go shopping someone with green skin, an alien who owns the tallest purple boots in the galaxy, a robot who doesn't even wear clothes and a guy who dresses like a decked out streetlight.

The end.

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Okay fine, I admit it, this was originally meant to be a New Year's story but upon my missing of the holiday I conveniently relocated my story to the next closest holiday. Heh. Ah, the woes of a poor flyingpiggie and her muses.

Remember my duckies, love is in the air!


End file.
